


foolproof

by homeformyheart_jen



Category: Blades of Light and Shadow (Visual Novel)
Genre: Anastasia AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:41:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29389995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homeformyheart_jen/pseuds/homeformyheart_jen
Summary: raina discovers that mal and tyril have ulterior motives for taking her to undermount. an anastasia AU one-shot.
Relationships: Mal Volari/Main Character (Blades of Light and Shadow)
Kudos: 2





	foolproof

**Author's Note:**

> author’s note: i had a rough outline taking place at the masquerade ball for weeks until i randomly got inspiration to do a disney anastasia-style AU. this is my first AU one-shot for choices, so hope you enjoy!  
> copyright: all characters owned by pixelberry studios. anastasia owned by disney (was 20th century fox).  
> series/pairing: blades of light and shadow – mal volari x f!human mc (raina nightbloom)  
> rating/warnings: 13+; descriptions of fear  
> word count: 4.7k  
> based on/prompt: “everything to win” from the anastasia broadway soundtrack.

**_foolproof_ **

raina stumbled over mal’s feet again and stepped away to give him room to rub his shin where she had not-so-accidentally kicked him while they were practicing.

“why would you kick your feet? it’s a waltz!” he winced. the heels they bought for her to get used to wearing were sturdier than they looked.

“because you were being a jerk,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

mal rolled his eyes. “real mature, raina.”

“well, you owe me an apology,” she pouted. she was trying her best and did not appreciate mal’s comments about how unladylike her dancing was.

tyril chuckled. “don’t listen to him, raina. you’ve come so far in just a few weeks. you’re dancing beautifully, just remember to keep your chin up. now, let’s try that again.”

she reluctantly stepped forward and placed her hand in mal’s. she was surprised at how gentle, but firm his grip was now compared to before. as the music started up again, mal slid his arm around her waist and began leading her around the room. remembering tyril’s critique, she decided to examine mal’s face as he made every effort to look anywhere but at her.

he really was handsome when he wasn’t trying so hard to be a jerk. his usual, arrogant smirk was gone, his brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to avoid stepping on her feet, his soft brown eyes focused outward. she followed the lines of his sharp cheekbones to the stubble on his jaw and back up to his lips. she lifted her gaze to his to find that he was staring at her lips and her breath caught in her throat.

raina tilted her chin up as mal slowly leaned down before the sound of tyril clearing his throat brought them back to the present, mal pulling away from her at the same time she was.

“you really need to work on your form, you almost stepped on my foot again,” mal growled, dropping his hands and stepping away from her. she pointedly tried to ignore the way he refused to meet her gaze and was rubbing the back of his neck.

“excuse me? if you knew how to lead, i wouldn’t step on your feet!” she retorted back, folding her arms over her chest.

“that’s another thing – you talk way too much! did anyone ever tell you that princesses don’t yell?” he shouted back.

raina bristled at mal’s obvious dig at her upbringing. “i guess not,” she seethed, before turning on her heel and stomping as aggressively and unladylike as she could out of the room.

mal let out a loud groan. “she’s a royal pain in the ass. are you sure we can’t do this without her?”

tyril chuckled. “not sure where we’d get another princess lookalike on such short notice. besides, didn’t you say this plan was foolproof?”

mal glared at his partner-in-crime. “yes, but i didn’t think she’d be _this_ annoying!”

_1 week later_

raina was wide awake. it was definitely late, and they needed to be up early to prepare for the ball. she could hear the wind rattling the thin shutters outside and the creaking of the old roof shingles. they had rented two rooms in a small inn not too far from the palace, which meant raina got her own room for the first time in weeks since they started their journey together. it also meant that it was the first time she’d be sleeping without someone else in the room and it felt weirdly uncomfortable.

sleep was the last thing on her mind when in a matter of days, she would find out if she was related to queen nia of undermount. if the nightmares with blurry faces and screaming fire were true. if she was someone worth something instead of an orphan who didn’t even know her name. she subconsciously toyed with the pendant around her neck that read “at night, the flowers bloom.” she had no idea what it meant or where it had come from, but it was one of her only possessions.

it was clear that sleep wasn’t going to come tonight, not the night before she would be introduced to the queen. raina sighed and stood up so she could change out of her pajamas. she could at least see if either mal or tyril were still awake and keep them company for a bit.

she walked down to the end of the hallway to find the door to their room slightly ajar. the soft light of the lamp spilled onto the floor, leaving a sliver reaching into the hallway and stopping just to the left of her foot.

“when are you going to tell her the truth?” raina heard tyril’s soft voice and froze with her hand ready to knock on the door. she leaned in as close as she dared to the door without touching it and strained her ears to listen to the conversation.

“there’s no need to tell her anything. the plan is foolproof,” mal said quietly. raina could picture him sitting on the bed, twirling his dagger between his fingers.

she could see tyril’s shadow through the crack and pictured him sitting on the desk chair opposite the bed.

“she gets the family she’s always wanted. we get the reward money. we’ve run the plan a thousand times, we are not going to shake things up,” mal said stubbornly.

 _reward money?_ raina felt a lump form in the pit of her stomach. had everything been a lie? when mal and tyril found her outside the orphanage and convinced her she could pass for the missing princess, she naively thought they were just being kind. she never imagined that there could be more to the situation, although in hindsight, she should’ve been more skeptical. she felt incredibly stupid to have fallen for a con, in more ways than one.

“after we get the reward and she gets her family, what then? don’t you want to be with her?” tyril asked. raina’s heart was pounding in her ears. there was plenty of flirty banter and what she thought were longing looks, but she hadn’t dared to hope that mal might have feelings for her.

the sliver of hope she felt in that moment was quickly dashed when she heard mal’s response, “then we go our separate ways and never see each other again.”

“is that what you really want?”

raina had heard enough. she stood up from where she had been curled up against the door, freezing for a second when she heard the door creak slightly from her sudden movement before walking quickly back to her room.

mal pulled out the gold nightbloom flower brooch from his pocket and ran his calloused thumb over the intricate design. he didn’t often let himself relive that terrible night but finding this on the floor of the secret passage after he helped the princess and her cousin escape felt like a sign.

“it doesn’t matter what i want. all that matters is that she’s happy,” he said, tucking the brooch back into his pocket.

“suit yourself. but i think you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life if you don’t tell her how you really feel,” tyril said sympathetically.

mal’s silence spoke volumes of the truth. tyril decided to stop pressing further and get ready for bed when mal finally spoke again, “she’s a princess, tyril. she doesn’t belong with someone like me.”

“i know our princess lessons were pretty thorough, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to suddenly be a real princess and stop wanting to be friends with us. she’s pretty stubborn about that,” tyril said, trying to be supportive.

mal sighed. “you don’t get it, tyril. she’s _the_ princess. the one that went missing all those years ago. the one i helped escape from the palace.”

tyril stared at him in disbelief. “ _what?_ how long have you known this? you mean we have the real princess?”

mal put a finger to his lips. “keep your voice down, do you want everyone in the inn to know? i’ve known for a while i think, i just refused to believe it. but she recognized the brooch when i took it out, and the way she looked at it… i just knew.”

“holy…” tyril whistled softly.

mal just shook his head in mild frustration. “i know.”

only tyril knew what that girl meant to him; how often he dreamed about her and what she might look like now. the eight-year-old princess he snuck out of the castle during the coup but not before she insisted on going back for the brooch her cousin had gifted her for her birthday. that brooch almost cost them their chance to escape.

_15 years ago_

_a bloodcurdling scream startled mal awake. the small room he shared with the head butler felt too warm for comfort considering it was the dead of winter. he quickly pulled on his shoes and coat and went outside in the hallway to try to figure out what was going on. he could hear the loud shouts of men and screams of women coming from the main floor and east wing, where the royal family’s quarters were, and his heart sunk._

_mal could see a bright orange glow as he crept down the hallway toward the main staircase. the temperature was getting hotter as he got closer, presumably the rioters were torching everything in their path. he nearly cried out when his foot hit something firm but not before he heard a muffled groan. he knelt down and turned the person’s head to the side, gasping at the blood that now stained his hands._

_“mal – you must get out of here. they’re after the king and his family but will burn the entire palace to the ground. go – take the secret passageway behind the kitchen. go! now, my boy.” mal could only stare horrified as the man who took him in lay bleeding out on the carpet. with one last breath, the butler shoved mal’s leg away, jolting him upright._

i need to get out of here _, was the only thought running through mal’s mind as he wiped his hands and went back the way he came. he could take the back stairwell that led straight to the kitchen and escape through the passageway. as long as the rioters were mostly on the east side, the pathway to the kitchen should be clear._

_it was pitch black in the kitchen but mal knew his way around like clockwork, having snuck in and out of the pantry many times in the middle of the night. he quickly made his way over to the door that led to the basement storage room when he heard sniffling noises._

_“who’s there?” he said in a loud whisper, keeping his ears trained on the main kitchen door in case someone was approaching._

_“mally?”_

_mal knew that voice and nickname anywhere. “raina? where are you?”_

_“under the table. i came down to get a snack with nia when we heard all the shouting and she told me to stay while she went to check it out,” a quiet voice trembled._

_mal made his way over to the table and reached under it until he felt her hand. “come with me, it’s not safe.”_

_“but nia said she’d come back, i don’t want to leave without her,” raina said. they both turned their heads toward the door at the sound of running footsteps._

_“someone’s coming. quickly, hide in the storage room,” he whispered urgently, half-pulling and half-carrying her to the door in the back._

_“rainie? It’s me, where are you?”_

_“nia!” raina cried out, pulling out of mal’s grasp. nia quickly found where they were and gave raina a big hug._

_“we need to get out of here,” nia said. “it’s not safe.”_

_mal hadn’t interacted too often with raina’s cousin but found himself respecting how calm and collected she was. “i can take you through the secret servants’ passageway. follow me,” he said, offering his hand to nia as well._

_she grabbed it firmly and held tightly on to raina as mal led them down the dark stairwell, closing the storage door firmly behind them. he grabbed a torch from the wall and lit it with a match from his pocket, urging them to stay close as he pushed aside a barrel hidden behind a large sack of potatoes to reveal a small hole in the wall. nia squeezed into the hole first and reached back for raina._

_“wait, i need to get my brooch. i dropped it on the stairs,” raina cried out, releasing nia’s hand and turning away._

_mal quickly grabbed her arm and held her back. “you can’t go back there. they’re after you and your cousin. you need to escape right now.”_

_“no, it was my birthday gift, i can’t leave it!” raina sniffled._

_mal sighed, exasperated. “fine, i’ll go get it but stay here and be quiet!”_

_he sprinted back down the corridor, trying his best to ignore the stomping sounds that seemed to reverberate through the castle, making it seem as though there were hundreds of people stampeding the halls. he quickly located the brooch at the bottom of the stairs, but not before he heard loud footsteps on the other side of the door._

_“open that door, there may be gold or food!”_

_mal knew if they opened the door, they would see him. he quickly stuffed the brooch into his pocket and stamped the torch out on the floor, plunging the room into darkness. he dropped to the floor and crept as quietly and as quickly as he could back to the hole, squeezing in besides raina and pulling the barrel closed just as the men started climbing down the stairs._

_“mally? i’m scared,” raina whispered, burrowing her head into his shoulder._

_mal held her hand tightly. “i’ve got you, kit. now come on, we need to move fast.”_

_they could feel and hear the heat and smoke from the other side of the hole, even as they moved further away. the men that had come downstairs had likely torched the room. never had he imagined that one day his knowledge of the secret passageways would be used for something other than hide-and-seek with raina. but here he was, leading raina and her anxious cousin down winding stairs and cold stone floors to the exit._

_they once again crawled through a small hole that emptied out onto the snow-covered sidewalk. mal realized just then that the two princesses were wearing only their nightgowns underneath their sleeping robes, nothing that would keep them warm enough if they stayed outside._

_“hey! it looks like two of them are escaping this way!” nia’s panicked eyes locked onto mal’s._

_“the train station is that way, just go straight and don’t look back,” he said firmly, pointing north. “you need to get far away here. i’ll hold them off for as long as i can.”_

_nia nodded in understanding. “thank you, be safe.”_

_“mally, don’t leave!” raina cried out, leaping into his arms._

_“raina, come on. he’s doing this to help us, we need to go,” nia urged, peeling her cousin off mal and half dragging her as she set off in the opposite direction._

he didn’t remember much after that. he had tried to intercept the men chasing after the princesses by telling them they went in a different direction. it worked, but when he turned to go after the princesses, he slipped on a patch of ice and hit his head. when he woke up, the streets were quiet and empty, as if the royal family hadn’t just been murdered.

every so often he found himself looking at the brooch when he felt particularly nostalgic. as if he needed it to remind himself that what had happened wasn’t a dream. it was the only physical reminder he had left of that memory.

* * * * *  
“kit? you awake?”

raina had finally fallen asleep after hours of tossing and turning, her mind spinning with what she had heard. mal and tyril had deceived her about the plan, leaving out the part where there was reward money involved and that they had no intentions of sticking around. she thought they were beginning to trust each other, and she was starting to think of them as friends, not that she had much experience with friendships.

as she lay in bed fiddling with her necklace, she knew she would need to decide whether or not she was going to confront them at all.

she also thought there was something between her and mal. surely, she hadn’t imagined all those moments where he would look at her and smile softly or when his hands would linger on hers for just a little longer than necessary. but if this was all just a con at the end of the day, the more important decision was whether or not she could set her feelings for mal aside and continue to play her part as though she were none the wiser.

“i’m getting ready. i’ll meet you downstairs!” she called out but made no move to get up. she rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes, hoping to get a few more moments of sleep and avoid her feelings at the same time.

* * * * *  
mal glanced sideways at raina’s profile as they waited in the reception room of the palace with the other guests. she hadn’t said a word to him since breakfast but chatted away with tyril like her usual self. whenever he tried to ask her something, she responded without looking at him.

“are you nervous?” he asked quietly, shifting his weight uncomfortably under the awkward silence between them.

“i’m fine. i just want to get this over with,” she said curtly, just as the doors opened and a staff member waved them over.

mal’s brow furrowed in confusion but he didn’t have time to dig deeper as they were being announced. raina tucked her arm into his elbow and nudged it upward, all while looking straight ahead. his breath was stuck in his chest as he took in how beautiful she looked, for what felt like the thousandth time that evening. her hair was done up in soft curls, accented by a glittering headband that matched her teardrop-shaped earrings.

she looked every bit like a princess. all traces of the dreamy orphan they picked up outside the market all those months ago were gone. his heart started beating a little faster as he realized just how much of a woman she had become since he’d known her.

the dress she had on highlighted the softness of her curves and the sweetheart neckline made sure that her necklace was on full display. mal had recognized the writing on raina’s pendant, since it matched the etching on the brooch that was currently sitting in his pocket.

he knew he probably didn’t have the luxury of time with her. if he was going to be honest and clear the air between them, he needed to do it now.

“wait, raina, i need to tell you something,” mal said, hoping they wouldn’t be called forward yet.

raina’s body stiffened and she frowned. “now’s not the time. and if this is about the reward money, i know all about it.”

“what? where did you hear that?”

she spoke measuredly, stoic and tactful, the way a lifetime princess might speak. “i heard you and tyril the other night. i put two and two together.”

“just let me explain—”

raina finally turned to glare at him. “were you ever going to tell me? or was your plan always to cut and run?”

mal’s eyes widened. “it’s not like that, i— i’m telling you now!”

“mr. mal volari and lady raina nightbloom!”

at the sound of their names being called, raina turned back and mal watched as she carefully plastered on a demure smile and a shy expression.

“too late,” she muttered under her breath as she tugged him forward. he quickly matched her stride, the weight on his chest growing heavier with each step.

they stopped halfway across the stage where they were met by queen nia who looked at mal first instead of raina, her face tensing ever so slightly, brow furrowing in recognition. mal stiffened and raina glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, curious, but he stared pointedly ahead.

he bowed quickly and raina followed with a practiced curtsy, distracted by how odd mal’s behavior was. and if she was being honest with herself, she was a little worried. even though she was mad at him, she couldn’t help but care about him.

nia’s gaze had shifted to raina who couldn’t help but tense under her scrutinizing gaze.

“that necklace, where did you get it?” nia asked quietly.

“um, i’ve had it for as long as i can remember. i like to think it was a gift from the family i never knew i had,” she blurted out nervously.

nia’s brow rose briefly before they returned to normal, a smile slowly gracing her elegant features. “you were an orphan then?”

raina cleared her throat. “yes, your majesty. i woke up one morning outside the orphanage i grew up in when i was eight.”

a tear fell down nia’s cheek, followed by another. “i never thought i’d see you again, rainie. i had almost given up,” she raised a hand to her mouth before closing the gap between them to wrap raina up in a hug, ignore the looks from the crowd in the ballroom.

“you mean—” raina was stunned. hearing nia’s nickname for her from when they were children sent a wave of relief down her body. the puzzle pieces of her life were finally coming together.

“yes, you’re finally home!” nia laughed, shaking her head in amazement. “we have so much to catch up on and i have so many people to introduce you to!”

she motioned for a servant to begin introducing raina to some of the nobles in attendance, giving her some words of encouragement before turning back to mal, who had started to walk away.

“not so fast, mr. volari,” she said sharply and mal immediately stopped in his tracks.

nia walked toward him, the warmth from her gaze before completely replaced by an icy one instead. she held out her arm toward a door off to the side, which mal took to mean he should follow her to another room.

“this is what you want, isn’t it?” nia asked, holding out a pouch of what mal presumed to be the reward money once the door had closed behind them.

mal shook his head. “no thank you, your majesty.”

she looked at him suspiciously. “why?”

“i just want her to be happy,” he admitted, before bowing and heading back toward the door.

“mal,” nia called out. mal hesitated but turned around. “thank you. for saving our lives and for bringing her back to me.”

he gave her a simple nod and walked out.

raina was preoccupied with how tense mal had looked before and was confused as to why he and her cousin had left privately. she excused herself as politely as she could and ran after mal’s retreating back, as he exited the private room and walked toward the exit.

“mal, wait!” she hurried after him, reaching for his arm but he swung his arm out of her grasp as he turned around.

“look, i’m sorry. for lying to you,” mal said, burying his hands in his pockets. “but to be honest, i didn’t realize it was you until just a couple of weeks ago.”

“why didn’t you say something?” she asked, even though she wasn’t sure she really wanted to know the answer.

“i didn’t know how to,” he admitted quietly, reaching for her hand. he placed the brooch in the palm of her hand and closed her fingers around it. “you’ll never have to see me again.”

mal shoved his hands back into his pockets and gave her a sad smile before turning on his heel and walking away. raina opened her hand, eyes widening at the ornate gold flower brooch that felt oddly familiar. its design matched the flower on the pendant she wore.

she looked up, startled at nia’s sudden presence at her side. “oh, nia, i didn’t see you there.”

nia gave her a sympathetic smile. “so he told you the truth after all.”

raina turned to look at her cousin. “you knew?” she asked, confused.

“i recognized him,” she said softly.

“why didn’t you say anything?” raina asked.

nia motioned toward the brooch in raina’s hand instead. “do you remember when i gave you that?”

“vaguely. it’s hazy, but it was a birthday gift or something, right?” she asked hesitantly, turning the brooch over in her hands.

nia took the brooch from her and examined it closely. “that was the last time i saw you. we were supposed to have been celebrating your birthday, and instead i thought i lost everything that night. you had insisted on going back for this even as we were trying to run for our lives,” she recalled with a dry chuckle.

she carefully pinned the brooch to raina’s dress and held her by the shoulders. “mal saved our lives. and i’m so glad it was him that brought you back to me.”

“but he lied to me. he used me to get to you and your money,” raina said sadly.

nia smiled knowingly. “i don’t think someone who’s only after money would hold onto that brooch, considering he could’ve sold it for a sizeable sum. he also refused the prize money, raina.”

raina’s eyes widened. “he did?”

“no, he actually apologized. for not doing more to keep you safe,” she said, her eyes twinkling. “you should probably tell him how you truly feel before he leaves the city.”

“but i—”

“i’ve finally found you after fifteen years, raina. but right now, i think he needs you more. you know where to find me now,” nia said softly, tucking a loose curl behind raina’s ear.

raina smiled and threw herself into nia’s arms, hugging her as tightly as she could. “go,” nia said, gently pushing her toward the door and watching as raina picked up the skirt of her dress and ran as fast as she could in heels.

she burst through the doors and nearly tripped over her dress as she raced down the stairs to the sidewalk, frantically looking left and right for any sign of mal. she decided to head back to the inn, hoping that he would need to get his things before leaving. she sprinted as fast as she could in heels and a floor-length gown, weaving in and out of passersby, occasionally apologizing hurriedly when she inevitably bumped into someone.

she caught him outside the inn, trying to wave down a taxi.

“mal, wait, please!” he ignored her attempts to stop him, stepping around her to get to the curb.

“it was you, wasn’t it? the one who saved us all those years ago,” raina pressed. mal froze, but refused to look her in the eyes, choosing instead to stare at his feet.

she reached for his hand. “thank you. you saved my life.”

mal shrugged. “it was nothing. i’m glad you have your family now, your highness.” he bowed without raising his head and turned to move away.

“mally,” raina said softly, prompting mal’s head to shoot up at hearing the nickname he had long forgotten about and look back at her. “nia told me you didn’t take the money.”

mal sighed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “i couldn’t. not once i knew you were once the girl i’d play hide-and-seek and steal cookies from the kitchen with.”

“it was always you, mally, wasn’t it? you kept your promise that you’d look out for me,” raina said softly, stepping closer.

mal swallowed nervously. “of course, raina. i— i love you,” he said quickly, with hope ringing clear as day in his voice.

raina smiled and wrapped her arms around mal’s neck. “i love you too,” she whispered against his lips before closing the gap between them.

all at once, mal was glad his plan ended up not being foolproof after all.

**Author's Note:**

> i appreciate any comments you may have - to find this on tumblr, feel free to check out my writing/art reblogs @homeformyheart.


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